Sheikah's Creed
by Kokiri-Hylian-Hero
Summary: Linkle doubted that it was wise to believe in herself, but when offered a choice to take a leap of faith, she doubts those doubts, and joins the Sheikah, the Shadow Warriors and Shadows of Hylians. Her fate thus tied to that of the secret and dead organization, she goes on a mission that she never asked for, because she never thought it could happen. T for air assassinations.
1. Sheikah's Creed

Sheikah's Creed

All of the Sheikah had been killed or lost, except two, the Mentor Impa and the novice named Sheik who became a master in her own right.

Impa spoke an ancient language, the tongue of the Shadows of Hylians, it was a comforting sound, as they stood on a small island in the middle of the lake, connected only by a wooden bridge.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted." the apprentice replied.

Impa nodded and pulled some tongs from the fire, "You're sure you want to do the whole thing? Most of us died fighting for the Royal Family, the rest scattered to the four winds, we're a dead people, you don't need to suffer any...unnecessary traditions."

"There is no choice, I am committed to this cause, I'm not going halfway to my goal...I will meet it with open arms." the glove was roughly removed and all the fingers but the ring finger were drawn towards the palm, the ring finger remained firm, "Where others blindly follow the 'truth', we see what lies hidden, where others conform to 'laws' we follow our judgment, we are the Sheikah. We work in the shadows to serve the light, no one said it was painless."

Sheik took three measured steps, finger extended towards the fire, "One for Din, guardian of power, one for Nayru, keeper of wisdom, one for Farore, giver of life; and one for me, protector of humanity." upon ending, she moved her finger so that the space between the first two knuckles of the finger aligned with where the tongs would come down, "And one step for my people, I'll never forget what they died for."

Impa winced and granted Sheik's request. This was unexpected, Impa believed so much that her ward would be unharmed, and now it'd come to this, finding a Sheikah in the one she tried to keep from so much as a scrape. As far as she knew, Sheik was unharmed, her eyes were wide open, and a sharp breath confirmed her suspicions.

The new Sheikah threw her glove into the water, and climbed the tree in the middle of the island in the middle of this vast lake, and walked to the edge of a limb, Impa close behind, then turned to see the Mentor before diving into the lake.

* * *

Linkle emerged and shook her blonde hair, then grabbed the well's wall and pulled herself out. The guards got pretty close to catching her this time. She didn't know why Iron Knuckles were around to begin with, Hyrule wasn't Gerudo territory so them taking things for free annoyed her, but the way they shoved people around enraged her, so donning her cloak she went out to cleverly aid the citizens of Kakariko Village.

She spread her cuccos out over a small area where one Iron Knuckle and three Gerudo foot soldiers would march, then ran at the leader, knocking her over and pulling the keys off, then quickly ran through the crowd of cuccos, who were alarmed by the shouting guards.

Now she ran to the building that the Gerudo used for barracks and hefted a jar above her head, kicked the door twice, and waited for the door to open, in a blind spot, and then waited until it started to close and kicked the door, sending the scimitar wielding Gerudo.

Linkle threw the jar, the smash stunning three Gerudo as she ran in and slid strongbox off the table and turned to find the Gerudo approaching slowly with their blades poised at her. She turned around, running to get a pitchfork, dropping the box in favor of holding the pitchfork like a weapon, stepped back, and found the bars drop around her.

She didn't know why this building, said to have been home to the great Impa long ago, had a gate like this, but then, maybe it was new when she was young, a cow used to be here, but back then, there was a roof to this cage, and it wasn't raised or lowered, and if she was right, there also used to be a a hole in the wall. She kicked the back of the wall, lowering her head, as one of the women laughed, "Why, hello, little rat, didn't your folks teach you not to enter peoples houses without permission?"

"Well, hello, ladies, glad to drop by...but this isn't your house, either." Linkle retorted, "Now, why don't you leave before I add insult to injury?"

"Ha, you're the one trapped behind bars." one said.

"That's a good way to look at it...but in a couple of seconds, you'll be wishing you were safe behind bars too."

Suddenly the door flew open and guards running from an angry flock of cuccos entered the building.

"Hey, idiots, there's a window right there, cuccos will float down, but if you fall fast enough, you can get a head start!" Linkle advised, as the women crowded the window. When the last fell outside, Linkle took stock of her situation.

The was no lock on the gate, but she could simply climb the bars, but then she'd have to leave the box behind, unless the bars could be raised, but she'd have to be fast. Linkle opened the box and found her quarry, a purple Rupee the guards had stolen.

She set the bow down and shut the lid, pressing down with one foot before trusting it with her full weight, then set one foot on the lower bar and grabbed the middle bar with her hands, then leapt up, one hand pushing on the bar as she threw her other hand against the top of the gate, and grabbed it with her other hand, and pulled herself up, using the middle bar as soon as her feet met it, then dropped down on the other side, removed her cloak, then took the rupee, dropping it into her pocket and opened the door, leaving the place and finding a group of Gerudo down stairs.

"What were you doing up there?" one asked.

"How do you mean?" Linkle asked, scrunching her eyebrows.

"That's our place, this village is ours, and don't forget it!"

"But no one's in there, and the glass is broken."

"What?!" the guards ran to the building, leaving her behind.

She followed them slowly and watched them keenly, "May I be of further assistance?"

"What, no thanks, go away!" the guard ordered and she nodded, leaving casually.

" _I need to get that cloak back."_ she thought of how she'd get in now, but nothing came to mind.

Three guards, heavy armor, all carrying an ax, she considered the opposition and decided she could get in and out unnoticed, but she'd need help...not cuccos this time. She searched the village and noticed the Gerudo from earlier, they had scratches all over them and bruises from where they were pecked.

"What are you looking at?" one of the annoyed women inquired.

"Nothing, nothing." she said lowering her head.

"Aren't you the cucco shepherd?"

"Y-yes, ma'am, why do you ask?"

"You're birds attacked us, we'll be compensated for that."

"O-of course."

"Meet us in our post, we'll discuss payment in Rupees...per scratch."

"But, I don't have that kind of money!"

"Too bad, your birds have to die, then."

"F-fine, I'll visit you later."

"Good, you're not so stupid after all! Tonight, then, after we've counted the claw marks."

Linkle watched as they left and sighed, _"I really need to get that cloak back!"_

* * *

Linkle stepped into the building later that night and found the guards from earlier still her...and the ones she was supposed to meet behind bars, "Um, what's going on?" she asked, trying not to seem to brave or curious, just meekly purposeful.

"These four are to be hang tomorrow for abandoning their post, meanwhile, take this to the trash heap." the guard tossed her green cloak at her and she nodded.

"I was supposed to meet them, should I disregard their orders, or do they still stand?"

"Disregard these traitors and go, before you join them!" the guard shoved her and she stepped back and landed roughly against the wall, "Are you stupid, what kind of question is that? They're traitors, not Gerudo! Now go, before I decide to throw you into the cage with them."

"R-right away!" she turned and briskly left the room, she ran down stairs and walked to the graveyard, falling against the well on the way and letting the cloak soak as she looked at her knee.

"What are you doing there, taking a nap? Hurry to the graveyard and let them see that cloak burn, before we add you to the trash heap as well!" the guard saw her through the window and she picked up the cloak.

"Oh, it's drenched!" she cried, holding it up at arm's length.

"I don't care if it it's on fire, take it to the trash heap!"

"A-alright, it's going to be heavy, it won't be a problem!" Linkle said, and carried the cloak to the graveyard, thinking of some way to save the cloak, if she had to burn it, she'd throw in the towel, there was no way she could get a new one, and putting it on in the graveyard wouldn't work out, she just needed a way to make them think it was burned. The water wouldn't save it for long...unless it killed the fire. She smiled to herself.

"You what's that cloak?" a Gerudo asked as she approached the fire.

"This is something the guards ordered be burned." Linkle noted that this was the only person here, if she smothered the fire she could save the cloak and continue helping people if her mother's old cloak wouldn't be destroyed. Her mother was a cryptic woman, and so was her grandmother, her father, a Hylian Knight was the most normal person in the family, but he was often away, at sea.

Linkle offered the cloak to the Gerudo, then shrieked when the woman turned her back and fell into her, "Look!" she screamed, jumping away from the woman and tossing a rock at her when her back was turned, "Behind you!" she screamed, but the rock hit the woman just as her gaze fell upon the rock. Linkle took the cloak and smothered the torches around them, then dropped the cloak casually on the fire, and again and again until it landed on all the fire, then ran to the guard house and shouted at the window.

"Man down over here!" she shouted, after donning the scorched cloak and leaping onto the beam across the well, then slipping forward and dropping into the well. She waited for the guards to run towards the graveyard before getting out of the well again and running to a nearby building.

She knocked on the door and set the Rupee on the ground then hid where the door would open, "I believe what lies at your feet to be yours." she hissed in a gravely voice that irritated her throat.

"A-ah! Thank you, whatever kind spirit is out there, thank you!" Linkle smiled at herself, hearing the gratitude of a citizen who needed help always left a smile on her face, even when some Gerudo led by an Iron Knuckle approached her. She hadn't noticed them until they were upon her.

"Good eve, ladies, how may I help thee?" she asked in a darker, more mysterious voice that she had fun with.

"What are you doing here? Do I know you?" the Iron Knuckle asked, pushing her against the wall.

"Surely I would remember you if we were friends." Linkle replied, bowing, "Is that all?"

"I don't believe so, pull down your hood!"

"With pleasure!" she yelled, she threw her weight behind her leg as she kicked towards the guard, knocking her down, then jumped on her and bounced back off, turned and slapped the Gerudo to her right with her wet sleeve, then tossed her towards some other Gerudo, the momentum sending them all back, and she ran towards the entrance of the village., "Good eve, miladies, surely we may meet again, ha, ha, ha!"

* * *

She climbed up a tree and waited until she saw figure run pass her before she jumped onto the ledge that emerged from a nearby hill. Wet clothes and a happy villager, it's not like she needed anything else, she was a cucco shepherd by day, and a redistributing masquerader, also by day, but she dismissed that point, all that mattered was that she would be there whenever she had to be.

* * *

Linkle reappeared in the village, having left the cloak she loved so much out in Hyrule Field somewhere, hid among the grass, where the guards would never tread.

Linkle found the village quieting down and ran towards her home as quickly as she could, and to her credit, no one saw her. No one she took into account, though an owl watching from a tree branch.

She leaned against the door and let out a deep breath, being a hero was hard work, more prominently, it was hungry work.

Linkle searched her cabinets for food, after using most of the food for a stew, she searched again to make sure she was really out, the got ready to go shopping.

* * *

She wasn't out for long before a guard pushed her to a wall, "Did you see anything? We'll catch the one responsible for this!"

"I didn't see anything, I just need to go restock my supplies, if I may." Linkle learned that the Gerudo suspected everyone, as long as she had something she needed to do, she could deliver the urgency required, and once the Gerudo found her worthless, she was let go.

"Fine, but if you see a green cloak running around out there...you find us." the Gerudo added a shove against the wall to get her point across, but the spoken and unspoken point.

As much as it stung her and her pride, she knew that if she endured like everyone else, she would be seen as anyone else, no tricks, no hitting, no dodging, no running away; honestly, it was harder to run than to fight back, but she knew how it worked, be a good little powerless Hylian, and live to redistribute wealth another day.

* * *

Sometimes, on evenings like this, as she crossed the bridge leading across to Castle Town, she wondered if there was more. Linkle felt like there was far more out there for her, but she wondered to herself, what _is_ her life, to be stuck in a village when her potential was clear? Was it wasted talent, or perhaps she was dreaming bigger than she could manage? These questions and more bounded through her mind, she wished something would happen.

There was no one in sight, just Linkle and a fountain of the Triforce, something drew her to it. She leaned over the edge, took a breath, cleared her mind, released the breath, and with eyes closed, she envisioned her destiny, and touched the Triforce. She didn't know what destinies looked like, but she imagined hers looked like light streaming down a hill, the sun rising to turn thick thunderclouds into dark purple clouds that eventually faded.

She sighed and backed away. What fun was being the Hero if she had to bottle it in? What good was it to be a hero if she couldn't inspire courage in others? She decided then and there, she wasn't the sun.

As she walked, browsed the market, she gazed up at the heavens and smiled. She was no sun, she was a star, she liked to think the stars were always there, they just showed up better in the dark.

* * *

Four watchers in the dark observed the unfolding of future days.

"The future is darkening. Nayru, what do you think?"

"Well, Farore, we've seen the... _projected_ results...there's a high chance no one will succeed, but with _that_ one, there is a...certain quality."

A new voice joined the discussion, "I like her, she's got flare!"

"You're so biased, Din," Nayru chuckled, "you like _fire_ in general."

"True, but you see it too, right?" Din dared her to say she didn't.

"I admit, I like her for the role." Nayru leaned back and sighed, "She's a fast learner, and knows how to get things done effectively."

"I like her spirit," Farore pipped, "she'd be willing to risk all, if it was worth it in the end!"

"My only complaint is that she doesn't have time to learn dancing along the way." Din smirked, crossing her arms, "But I suppose we can't see _everything_ in her future...though it did seem like that was a gala at the castle!"

"And I," the last spoke with pained breaths and heavy pants, "will believe in her, regardless of odds, she is the _only_ chance our creation has of surviving."

The three turned to see their leader's shadow near a wall. A chamber opened and steam rose from it. They jumped as the sound of doors being kicked down echoed throughout the halls, it grew louder. They huddled together and waited for it to be their door they could hear the chaos, and they knew it would their turn soon, more death and destruction for the temple to hold in it's past.

* * *

 _A warm fire, peaceful nights. Her family was asleep, she watched them carefully, knowing that when she opened her eyes, it'd be to the same fire she saw when she opened her eyes, she would wake up to a nightmare, and never wake from it._

 _Linkle studied her parents as the blankets on them rose and fell._

 _She often got so caught up, she accepted this reality, and then she was stuck what happened next. She never knew how it started, but she imagined fire exploding the walls behind her, she pulled her knees up, a helpless observer. Part of her wanted to take her hand from her mouth and_ let _them hear her, and_ let _them destroy her future, too, the other side knew of her knew what they'd do, and wasn't wrong at all._

 _They walked in, paid her no mind as a sob that should have given her away escaped her mouth, and her eyes followed them as they pulled out their arrows, and pulled them back._

 _Linkle could always clearly see them die, while she was always frozen in fear._

Linkle didn't wake with a start, it was always in a semiconscious state she found herself, the past and present held together firmly, drifting apart until she was fully awake. At least that dream wasn't every night, if that was any consolation, she leaned on it, if not, she leaned on it and didn't fall over the illusion.

She sat up, took a deep breath, and collected her thoughts. It was morning, and that meant she had cuccos to tend, but that led her back to yesterday, it was strange, more and more Gerudo were executed for leaving their posts, but they were usually chasing her or something, then again, that gave them reason to suspect their own people.

Eventually that would only make things harder for those she fought for, as the entirety of the original company sent to watch Kakariko Village would be replaced, and the people would be the only suspects for the thief who was returning money to the villagers, on that note, she'd be more suspicious because of her age, she had to practice running slow and pretending to tire out, but still be just a little faster than everyone else.

What she needed was a final run, something spectacular, and then vanish with her flock.

* * *

"To me, birdies!" Linkle called out, a sack of crumbs in her arms, "Eat up, I was able to restock yesterday!"

Linkle was giving herself too much credit, the Gerudo "donated" to her efforts, not much, a little here and there, enough that they probably wouldn't notice, and she ate in town when she restocked, so she never had more than her actual pay. She hated to admit it, but she was a great thief, but betting on her skills with a bow was an even better way to make money, though the owner of the Shooting Gallery wouldn't let her back in if she was too good, she just got that kind of feeling, so she missed sometimes, believably, though, she always made it look like she was only pretty good.

She once shot between two moving targets just for fun, but never did it again, just in case that suggested more skill than luck.

Linkle turned and saw a couple of guards below, so she walked around the cuccos' fence and focused on the Gerudo and not the cuccos' clucking. She caught a few words, like "the green ghost" and "grass phantom", she also heard about a forest imp, and liked that they took her actions as ghostly and otherworldly, and hoped it stayed that way, it was easier this way. Then a new idea was brought up, "The captain thinks it could be a Sheikah."

Linkle held her breath, that word meant _something_ to her, she could feel it.

* * *

Sheik wandered the village graveyard, hiding behind the stones of Sheikah's passed. Knives flew out and struck the Gerudo guarding the trash heap, which, rumor had it, was put out last night, and the assailant knocked out a guard without killing her, as though a ghost had chosen to humiliate the Gerudo by outwitting her.

That would be a Sheikah trying to spare lives to show resourcefulness, rumors would be spread to the contrary, all while those who knew the truth would hunt down the Sheikah responsible.

Sheik was here for information, she gazed into the eye of a Sheikah Stone and unspoken words rang clearly in her ears, "There's a green ghost running around, one who is gifted."

The Gift, of course. The natural, ability that Sheikah were known for, those born in Kakariko Village were gifted, and they knew the gift was from the shadows, and as a rite of passage, they went into the Shadow Temple, after rigorous training they emerged, the ceremony was usually held there, but the other day that tradition broke, Impa found the coffin that the Sheikah would lie in, and took it to Lake Hylia, it was unlikely that that would've worked, but it did, Sheik felt her body teleport to the training grounds that all Sheikah faced, and awoke as a Sheikah.

Someone here had the Gift, and was using it without another Sheikah present, and all active Sheikah here had been slain, which meant that this person discovered their Gift alone. Sheik was saddened by the thought, no one deserved that, every Sheikah had a Mentor, and before Sheik, every Sheikah went with peers to hone their skills before putting them to use in the Animus Antechamber, only then were they alone, and only after were they permitted to assess whether or not they needed help, though many Sheikah died that way, so it was often not taken unless there was some sort of orchestration.

Using Hawkeye, Sheik found a yellow trail leading into the village, "Well, time to throw away any notion of sneaking into the village." she mused.

 **Author's Notes: Bet no one else saw this coming...unless you're mysteriousguy898, or you read that one mini fic in the second chapter of Legend of Linkle: Chibi Great Adventure, "In Which Linkle Is The Assassin", or just thought this should be a thing so looked for it. Hawkeye is something mysteriousguy898 brought up as Zelda's Eagle Eyes, I found it to be very cool!  
**


	2. Escape

Escape

Linkle turned around as the sound of yells reached her ears, and she found four Gerudo attacking each other, and other Gerudo around them. Maybe they got into a fight about who's shift was next, or it was a sparring match, whatever it was, it got the attention of the captain, who stayed out the conflict herself. Linkle stumbled back as the world briefly darkened, and followed a line of yellow to the path leading out of the village. If her eyes weren't deceiving her, then there was a person glowing yellow, running out of town, but when the world resumed being lit up, she saw an outfit, faint blue and a little white, but she tried not to think about it. She returned her attention to her flock, and getting them fed, though she was hungry, too, now that the misery she woke up with faded.

"There you guys are, that's breakfast!" Linkle always split the meals for them into sacks, so she didn't have to worry about throwing them too much, and could just focus on emptying the bag, "Speaking of which, I-"

Linkle turned to see a lot more guards, way more infighting than earlier, everyone was hitting indiscriminately, "Man, those guys are stupid."

"No kidding." a calm, collected voice added.

Linkle jumped back and turned to find no one, "Okay, look, I know I heard some-" Linkle felt something soft land on her, and her eyes fell to the cloak at her feet. She looked up and found two red eyes watching her, "Who are you?"

"Just returning your property." the voice whispered, mildly mischievous, there was a plan, "Well, go on, don it, if you're worthy of taking fate into your own hands."

There wasn't just a plan, there was an offer. Linkle grabbed the cloak and wriggled her arms into it, she looked up and could see crinkles around the eyes, the person was smiling.

Her mysterious visitor landed before her and pointed at the captain, who watched the battle, "Focus, look at her with new eyes."

Linkle suddenly found the world go dark again, and the urging whisper of whoever was with her broke the stillness as hands clasped her shoulders, "Fear not the shadows, embrace the darkness, for it is but your own shadow."

Linkle clenched her teeth, and allowed the dark world to stay, "Why is that one yellow?"

"I think you know." was the determined, hissed reply. Two hands, blue, in this view, clasped her wrist and Linkle held back a reaction. Linkle allowed herself to be turned to face the masked visitor, who was light blue.

"Who are you?" Linkle inquired, vision returning to normal.

"Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah, I work alone, I walk alone...my companion is my sole shadow, ever since the Mentor and I parted."

Linkle watched Sheik, and was offered two gauntlets, "Umm...what are those?"

Sheik placed one leather gauntlet into her hands, and held up an arm. Sheik was wearing one of them, and to Linkle's surprise, a swift blade darted out, then retracted. That same look was in Sheik's eye, something fierce and destructive, but was that merely a shadow cast in light of recent events?

"Umm...I don't know." Linkle let the Sheikah push the other device into her hand, "I never expected this."

"I fear that oftentimes we must execute with only basic knowledge...but I do pity you, having this thrust upon you, this is akin to what you wanted, but is this the incarnation you wanted? What would you trade for Hyrule to be free from Ganondorf?"

"I-I...wouldn't...there's no trade, there ought to be no trade, it's a given!"

"Right! You know that this...this is what...this is what it comes down to, it's not something I take likely, it's best to...measure twice and cut once...I've measured, it's best this way."

"Who is she, what has she done?"

"Removing her will disrupt the chain of command." Sheik turned to leave, but paused a moment, "It...often helps to remember why you're doing what you do. I'll be watching from here."

Linkle turned and focused her vision until the world was dark again, and found the captain walking back to the building built into the ground beneath Linkle. She took a deep breath and felt herself settle into a crouch, then pounced. She dove towards the Gerudo, who smirked at her on her way down. Linkle felt the gauntlets with her fingers, rubbing the top of the palms and shaking her wrist. The Gerudo smiled and let Linkle crash into her. She jumped up and let Linkle's momentum fuel a roll, which ended with Linkle on the ground, her shoulders pressed back.

"Leave her to me!" the captain announced, pulling Linkle up by the hood.

Linkle wriggled free and spun around her fist aimed at the Gerudo's stomach, head down to keep hood over her face.

The Gerudo stepped back three times, anticipating the swings, then grabbed Linkle's arms, her right hand over left, and pulled Linkle's arms over each other, then kicked her feet out from under her, grabbed Linkle by the shoulders, and pressed her to the wall.

"Wow, you're promising!" the Gerudo chimed, then pulled Linkle away from the wall and shoved her to the building, "Keep your head down, Grasshopper!"

Linkle gasped as she was shoved at the door, and fell against it, "What kind of set up is this?!"

"Do you _want_ to be the new resident punching bag? Stop asking questions, and _move_!" the captain ordered.

"Well, what, you're going to lock me up?"

"What did I say about questions?"

"What are you planning, are you going to lock us all-ah!" Linkle's ears rung and her face stung, the captain turned around to face her men.

"Didn't I tell you I'd handle-" Linkle jumped up and grabbed at the woman's neck, but the height difference meant it took longer to secure her grip, and she was knocked to the ground, "Don't!"

Linkle's eyes widened at the sight of spears poised at her, "But ma'am-" a Gerudo began.

"No, she lives, she's coming with me, and don't _anyone_ make me repeat myself!" the captain's finger was pointed at her soldiers, but it lowered to Linkle faster and sharper than her hand fell across Linkle's face.

Linkle rubbed her thumb over her hot, stinging face and flicked her glance to the blood on her thumb, then back at the Gerudo, "I'm going to get you for that." the fallen Sheikah vowed. Fallen, and her time as one cut short.

"Oh, I'll teach you, _Sheikah_ , exactly why you won't...several reasons you won't, in fact!" Linkle felt her resolve fail as the Gerudo captain loomed over her, and swiftly brought her up, "Now, get up, we've got a cell with your name on it!"

"That's funny!" Linkle spat, "The name's Linkle, and I'm a Sheikah!"

The Gerudo chuckled mirthfully at Linkle's struggle, "Wow, your spirit just flared back up, then, didn't it? Well, resilient spirit or not-"

" _Unbreakable_." Linkle corrected, her face mashed against the wall.

"Won't that be determined, though?"

"I'm the Hero...'determine' _that_!"

"Resistance is futile, Hero, so let's calm down before we see if your face is like your spirit." the Gerudo turned her around and pressed her against the wall. Linkle silently grimaced as her shoulders connected with the rock wall, "Look at me, no, really look at me! Look at them! One of these things is not like the other, the sooner you realize that, the better of both of us can be!"

Linkle was befuddled by the Gerudo's choice of words, wasn't there something in papers where two pictures had differences in them? She couldn't help connect the phrase with the memory, which calmed her down, but when she used her Sheikah powers to "see" the Gerudo, she saw that she was blue!

Sheik was blue, one of the bystanders was blue, somehow she could see the intentions of those around her, and this captain meant her now harm, not that it didn't happen anyways.

Linkle let her shoulders slump, put on the ruse she'd worn so often, "Fine."

She actually did feel dispirited, somehow, maybe she was good at acting, or maybe deep down, she did feel beaten, it helped that she was trusting a Gerudo, who beat her up just to tell her that she's on Linkle's side, as much as she hoped it was true—not that she had a choice—she doubted her luck. She felt betrayed by Sheik, most importantly, and like she had taken a risk just to get trapped, and now she was useless. She cast her glance around and tried to figure out some escape from here, but so far there was nothing. Then she heard a jingle.

Keeping her head down, she looked under her shoulder and found a set of keys on the Gerudo captain, but didn't know how she could keep them from being seen. It was, she decided, worth the risk. Linkle looked up, squeezed out a few tears from the hopelessness she could have stumbled into, and looked eyes with the Gerudo. Linkle let her hand drag against the wall, the brought her other arm to wipe her face. Her fingers found something cold and solid, so she sniffled as loudly as she could, stopping all at once so the Gerudo bumped into her.

Her finger hooked into the key ring and she lifted it up off the unnoticeable hook, which she traced with her thumb to find it curved down, making lifting a very risky move, but it was a success, and now the next step was to not drop the keys in her fist, she silently braced for a shove, and was disappointed, as all she got was a simple push.

* * *

"Okay, this is your cage, take a look around and get settled, it'll be a while until you can play the Hero again!" the Gerudo pushed Linkle inside the cell and left her. Linkle wasn't going to unlock the door, first she was going to see if there was some clue or something in her.

"Take a look...well, here goes nothing." Linkle sighed after an extensive search of the room, and found a yellow mark on the wall, pointing at some part of the wall over the rags thrown on a stone that she concluded was suppose to be an excuse for a bed, a very out of place area to put a switch, perfect for hiding form anyone looking for a way out.

Linkle turned around and found no one behind her, so got on the bed and pressed the wall. She heard something like rock scraping rock, and with her power she saw a yellow object on a wall, perhaps a switch to close the door. Linkle used her normal vision again and found that it was a well hidden path, cloaked in shadow.

Linkle put the key in the lock, turned it, and left it ajar, then ran into the hall that opened up, and pulled the level, when she let go, it went up, and the door of rock went down, and she made her escape.

* * *

"Captain." a blonde girl jumped up and saluted the Gerudo captain, who smirked as her friend jumped off the flatboat.

"Hello, Captain." she replied.

"Thank you, Captain."

"No, thank you, Captain."

"Captain." the blonde stated.

"Captain." the Gerudo confirmed.

"Captain?" the other inquired.

"Uh-huh, Captain." was the almost promised reply.

"Captain!" the blonde danced.

"Yeah, yeah, anyways, Captain Aryll, I've secured her!"

"And your keys are missing." Aryll pointed out.

"Indeed, they are, she actually lifted herself, I didn't need to drop them myself."

"Well, Malron, she sounds promising!"

"That's what I told her." Malron replied with a smile, "Unfortunately I had to hit her, a lot."

"Well, when in Gerudo territory, you know?"

"I still feel kind of bad about it though...at the very least, I feel bad that we had to meet like that."

"You know, I hear you don't really know a Gerudo until you've had a fist fight, and a few rounds of target practice with her." Aryll remarked.

"Ladies." a voice from the shadow called out, and they found the red eyed blonde who'd sent their target in.

"Oh, wow, she's going to be so angry when she finds you two here!" Aryll laughed, "Especially you, Sheik, you tossed her in with Hidden Blades that don't work!"

"Well, Malron said she could handle being ambushed, so I let her go for it." Sheik stretched her arms and sighed, "She's actually quite good, sprang forward like she'd been doing it all her life."

"That's good!" Aryll patted the covered object on the boat, "She'll need a lifetime of experience, so if she handled the basics, let's she how she can cope with this!"

"You know it'll hurt if she gets hit in there." Malron frowned.

"Well...it doesn't hurt that bad, the hardest part is when you're ejected from the glorified sarcophagus." Aryll crossed her arms, "And she handled you, right—wait, did you see her after you locked her up? Exactly how badly did you throw her around? What if she's in tears?She _isn't_ a professional, she-"

"She gets thrown around by Malron's lackey's all the time." Sheik pointed out, then turned to a contemplative Malron, "What is it?"

Malron clenched her jaw, "I...left without paying much attention, and she was silent, but had the keys. But if she's alright emotionally, she could get a lot of physical pain in _that_ , usually the one going in there had experience, trained on the outside world, but...what we're talking about has never been done, to gain experience from that thing, and to...apply it to the real world, to reverse it's purpose! I've said my piece, honestly, I'm concerned for Linkle, I tried not to be rough, honest, but she almost got herself killed!"

"It's understood," Sheik nodded, and clasped Malron's shoulder, "you did your best to keep her alive and let her break out, now all we can do is wait for her—and I sense her presence closing in on us."

"You called her-" Aryll cut herself off and stared at Malron.

"She volunteered information, I disclosed nothing to her about anything, didn't reach out to her, I remained a 'model' Gerudo captain." Malron let out a sigh and turned to Sheik, "You sense her closing in yet? That's a maze she's running through."

"As long as she uses Hawkeye, she can see the path forward." Sheik remarked, "It'll take time, but so long as she keeps a clear mind and watches the walls, she should arrive soon."

"How soon until Grasshopper arrives?" Malron inquired.

"Soon." Sheik breathed, "We have three marching in fast!"

Silence displaced the conversation as Aryll disappeared into the cabin of the ship, Sheik jumped to the blind side of the little boat and held onto the side, and Malron pretended to inspect the boat.

"Sir!" they greeted.

"What brings you down here?" Malron stood up and regarded them silently.

"The prisoner's escaped!" was their message.

"What? How did she escape?" Malron patted her side and looked at the red headed group, "My keys are gone, that Sheikah must have help on the inside! Do we know why there was infighting earlier? Did you _not_ find any Sheikah? I told you if suspected anyone to turn them over to me!"

"Only the blonde Hylian girl, Sir!"

"Well, what are you standing around for? Conduct a search here, flush the mole from our ranks, present them to me! I've been so bored recently, I could pick a fight here just for thrills. After you return to tell me if we have a Sheikah in our ranks, report to me, and then go find her! Go to Castle Town, don't raise a panic, don't talk to anyone, just put her face on walls, and a bounty on her head, and then come back!" Malron ordered, then turned around, her hands gesturing around her, "Does this place look like it'll excavate itself?! No? I didn't think so!"

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

"And send General Aveil my congratulations on ascending the ranks, tell her I'll personally drag her down once I can _finally_ be stationed somewhere else!"

"As you wish, Captain!"

Malron turned around, climbed onto the boat, and looked down at Sheik, "Peekaboo, they gone?"

"Yes...and don't call me that." Sheik replied before climbing up and knocking on the cabin, "We're clear!"

"Ha, ha, I wasn't calling you that, but now you mention it, that's a fine handle for a proud Sheikah warrior!" Malron grinned.

"I...would prefer not, thank you." Sheik muttered.

Malron smirked and thought of ways to pass the time until Linkle showed up, but came up empty. Silence was all there was, until Linkle showed up.

* * *

Linkle walked through the narrow passages with nothing but a lantern to light her path. She often came across torches she could light, which was handy when she had to leave her lantern at a distant ladder, climb up, walk across a board, and find the lever just within the twilight glow that faded into darkness as she left the torch on the other end of the gate.

She thought she heard whispers, but it turned out to be her own breath. Linkle admitted to being scared, armed with nothing but her fists, but she pushed the fears aside and thought of something else, like the questions she'd ask that captain, and imagined meeting that smirking idiot and punching her in the face as a greeting.

She let out a sigh that echoed off the walls, and ran back to the light, under the gate, and grabbed the lantern she found. It's warm glow reminded her of home, in a time when it was a home, and not just where she, her flock, and her memories dwelt.

She caught her breath as she heard something, and left her lantern while she peeked around a corner, then stepped out as she saw an end the passage open up.

She heard someone barking orders to find something, and when the captain brought up a bounty on "her" head, she figured that she was the one she referred to. She was still blue, Linkle found, and there was another blue figure on the other side of some boat, and a glimpse of blue was barely visible though a window in the boat's cabin, maybe they were working together, but all the talk of catching someone made her uneasy.

She returned her vision to normal and noticed that the one on the other side of the boat was the one called Sheik, and she saw some sort of plan form, that somehow involved whoever was in the boat, the captain, presumably, they were on a boat, which meant, if the Gerudo planned Linkle's escape, and if Sheik planned her capture, then it was all a journey, but where the road would take her, she didn't know.

Linkle crossed ledge, which she had to catch with her hands, and found the ladder. The trio she approached turned to find her, everyone but a masked Sheik smiled, "Hey, glad to see Malron didn't rough you up to death!" the blonde chirped.

"Get in the box." Sheik bobbed her head to the boat.

"Ah-" Linkle coughed in surprise, "excuse me? I just got here! At least fill me in, what's going on? Why are you working with her?!"

"We're pressed for time, and Sheik's on edge." the blonde explained, "That's just the way Sheik is, though, to be honest, I think being away from Impa has the effect of making one question themselves."

"Impa was here?" Linkle had heard rumors, not much, but enough to know that that was one of the greatest names in Sheikah circles.

"She was my mentor," Sheik explained, "though she was the Mentor in the Sheikah community, she mentored me personally for longer than normal, I am the last Sheikah to enter the tribe, so we grew especially close, and then she told me we had to cover more ground, and that required splitting up while we assume our own roles in our plan to topple the Gerudo."

"Isn't she a Gerudo?" Linkle pointed at the captain, "You're their captain, you're Malron, right?"

"Yes, I'm Malron...we'll explain on the way," Malron nodded, "we don't have a lot of time to chat, sit in the cabin with Captain Aryll and wait, alright?"

Linkle scowled at her, "I don't like Gerudo...but I'm not sure how I feel about this."

"Trust me, don't trust me, like me, don't like me," Malron held her hands up as though testing the weights of some object, "really, as long as we take out the Grandmaster, isn't that what matters?"

"Grandmaster?" Linkle repeated.

"Questions later, I'll draw their attention, then we'll be off, hey, you wanted to hit me, right?" Malron smirked, "We won't shove you into the coffin right away, then."

"Coffin?"

"Explanations later—guards, here they are!" Malron turned to Linkle, "What; put your hood up! Come on, I can't take them both!"

Sheik rolled her shoulders and Malron swung at her twice, but missed. They rehearsed these punches.

Sheik winced under her cowl as she prepared to strike Malron's face. She hit just hard enough that Malron stumbled back, and Aryll—head and tricorn lowered, grabbed Malron's shoulder. Sheik grabbed an arm and helped Aryll pull her onto the boat. They turned Malron face down, and Sheik took her arms and held them up, her knee in Malron's back.

"Take the wheel!" Sheik cried, and threw a ball over at the crowd of Gerudo, who collapsed as a white blast engulfed them. As the light faded, Sheik got off Malron, turned her around, and sat next to Linkle, who was thoroughly bewildered.

"Having fun yet, Grasshopper?" Malron smiled, holding the side of her face Sheik hit.

 **Author's Notes: Update time, update time! The diving bell had to be one of my most favorite things in AC: BF, but I didn't like the sharks...the eels were okay.**

 **I hope you guys didn't hate Malron too much at first in this...and that you saw "Grasshopper" and maybe wondered if I was combining Malron's MM counterparts, hinting at Malron (from my story Linkle's Great Adventure)because I wanted the audience to have that moment where they pause and their brains wonder if that is Malron...if they read Linkle's Great Adventure before now.**


	3. Setting Sail

Setting Sail

Linkle looked up at the sound of Aryll's feet on the planks, stepping over to the waiting trio.

"Okay, everybody, grab the sarcophagus and toss her over!" Aryll cried, clasping her hands together.

"Wait, don't you guys want to put me in the box?" Linkle pointed at it and Aryll grinned.

"Okay, Linkle, hope you can hold your breath in your sleep!" Aryll jabbed at Linkle's shoulder and the bewildered recruit turned to Malron and Sheik for reassurance.

"Aryll's all talk, but can't back up her teasing with action," Malron rubbed her jaw and patted her knuckle against her split lip and glared at the blood, "specifically because she teases unrealistically, but also, she stands four five, you do the math."

"Don't bring my height into this!" Aryll ordered.

"Ah, she's got a short fuse, too-" Malron turned to Sheik, who bored Malron's eye with her red one.

"Don't...I have a feeling you can get another split lip if you're not careful." Sheik warned, "Now let's sink the ship and get our diving bell and crane set."

* * *

Linkle turned around and found a deep blue ship with red trimmings anchored in the midst of the river. Aryll steered them alongside the larger vessel, and sailed around it, then called out to Sheik, "Okay, you and Malron can throw the loot over!"

"Linkle," Sheik turned to the recruit, "she's talking to you, I'll go set the crane, you'll guide the arm under and lock the arms into place...I suspect you're an excellent diver, and Malron really doesn't want to get salt water in those wounds, Aryll has to torch the boat, and I'm the fastest climber."

"What can I do, Master Sheikah?" Malron wondered, standing to aid Linkle in lifting the coffin.

"Today you took one for the team, kept our recruit alive, and swallowed your pride, take your pick, but given the lack of tasks, I can let you rest up." Sheik turned as Malron whooped happily, and groaned as Malron pulled her hands from the rungs on the case that had been built for the sarcophagus, a smirk playing on her bloodied lip, " _After_ you help Linkle with this."

"Aye, Captain Master Sheikah!" Malron returned, hoisting the box with Linkle, who had an absentminded smile stuck to her face, "What are you think about?"

"Um, nothing...you don't seem so bad, despite throwing me around and slamming me into walls." Linkle explained.

"Oh, wow, Grasshopper, I have to say, I was worried you'd hold that grudge, I wouldn't have blamed you for it personally, but I'd rather not fight with teammates, so I'm relieved you're not going to use your Hidden Blades on me...whenever you get them." Malron turned to Linkle as they came to a stop by the boat's edge, "On three!"

"Right." Linkle nodded.

"One!" Malron called out.

"Two!" Linkle shouted.

"Three...splash!" Malron cried out, "You know, that river's actually deeper than it looks...at first I thought Sheik was crazy, talking about tossing that thing into the river, I was about to point her to Lake Hylia for all her sinking needs, but she checked it herself first."

"Hey, Linkle," Aryll pointed Linkle to the roped object riding alongside the chain of a bell, "there's your task, pull the lever on the metal box one way to open the claws, then the other to close them. Right, now the crane is in the closed position, secured to the chain, what you'll do is hop into the water, open the claw, dive to the riverbed, find the coffin, and close the claws around it, then swim back into the bell, and strike the inside twice, that let's us know you've got it. Inside the bell you'll find a place to catch you breath, and a rung, after you strike the knocker against the bell just hang onto the rungs, and you'll get a quick ride up to the top, I'll catch the Macabre Express, and Malron should be about halfway up the ship by then...oh, and if you hear an explosion, don't be alarmed, that's just Sheik shooting our barrel of bombs with a flame tipped arrow. Feel free to look down, the blast will be spectacular."

"That's our resident pyromaniac for you," Malron teased, donning her gauntlets, "always ready to have a blast!"

"Jump onto the ship, Red." Aryll retorted, going back to the cabin, "I'll start the ship going again when I hear you strike the knocker in the bell, the inside of the bell is red, so I painted the knocker black."

* * *

Aryll was at the helm, Malron had leapt onto the ship's hull, and Linkle searched the river for the coffin. She thought it'd be easy, but it was dark enough to be difficult, but she found it and set the claw, then turned around, following the crane's chain, and located the bell, she struck out two solid clangs and heard Malron yell something about Grasshopper, and the bell started rising. Linkle looked down and saw Aryll jump on the hull, then she jumped backwards and caught a part of the chain that had rope wrapped around it, for traction.

She also noticed that the flatboat was moving, just before something bright hit it and it exploded, and Malron and Aryll cheered from their respective sides of the bell, which resulted in an echo, Linkle would talk to them about yelling so loudly when she was in the bell after she was out.

She felt the object sway and stop, then looked down to find the floor of the ship's deck under her.

"You can drop now." Sheik called.

Linkle dropped, rolled, and turned to Sheik, "Where's Red?"

"She's up!" Malron pulled herself up on the railing and Linkle winced at the trail of blood from her lip, "Ha, Sheik made it look good, eh?"

"How can you laugh like that?" Linkle breathed, pointing at her lip.

"Simple: I don't think about the pain, just the gain! We've captured the coffin of Sheik's dreams!" Malron cheered, "Now we can rest, reflect on the damage, and lick our wounds. As that saying goes, There's no victory until the day defeat is in the shadow of our heroes!"

"Speaking of wounds," Sheik turned after lowering the bell to a cart, "you ought to go dress yours."

"Ah, yeah...well, I'll see you guys around, don't stick Grasshopper in the box without me!" Malron squeezed an eye closed and waved extravagantly.

"So, you guys going to explain this to me?" Linkle tossed a braid behind her and crossed her arms, "I'm still confused."

"Ask Malron for the long and short of it," Aryll blurted, "but Sheikah were defenders of the Royal Family, not the first line, not the last line...they were the Shadow Guardians, they were around every corner...or at least, key corners, and no one knew from where they would strike...but they didn't expect Ganondorf to act with such brutal force, and in the end...they were shattered, there were more monsters than they could keep up with, and they fell. Now we're fighting again, recruited by the survivor of the Sheikah herself to take back Hyrule...from the shadows, very, very quietly. We have to be extra careful because there's just a few of us, but we're closer for it, that kind of trust keeps us safe from any Gerudo hiding in our midst...Malron is...a very special case. Basically, all of us have sob stories that that leave us...lost, in a word, lost to everyone, no friends or family, and no one the Gerudo can use against us."

"The cuccos!" Linkle turned back to the village and jumped when a shoulder fell on her hand.

"They're free, and too fast for the Gerudo." Sheik assured.

"So...I don't have a reason not to fight?"

"And every reason to fight." Sheik nodded, "There's such a thing as too much of a good thing, order taken to the extreme...in a way, we there to remind the Royal Family of Hyrule where their place was, kept them...in line, it worked for a long time, once or twice there were occasions where a king or two got a little...ambitious. We protected the Royal Family from itself like a doctor save's a person from their infected limb: By cutting it off."

"That's extreme!" Linkle recoiled.

"True, but the moment Hyrule's made to suffer, the king becomes the enemy. We're trained assassins, Linkle...it's certainly not the kind of life I'd wish on anyone, sometimes even _our_ people take it to the extreme...and end up like the people we hunt down." Sheik sighed, "Honestly, the choice is still...on the table, as it were. You're not obliged to stay, I'm a Sheikah...the ruthless murderer and troublemaker, I released your flock and caused trouble for you. I don't blame you for wanting to leave, and either way-"

"No, wait, I _do_ want this...the other day I was thinking of quitting, I could only do so much until the people started being suspected...I'd have to reveal myself at some point...I was thinking of a large scheme to go out with...what gets bigger than this?" Linkle looked between Sheik and Aryll.

"Better question: Linkle, what exactly gets bigger than taking out Ganondorf?" Aryll crossed her arms, "Ambitious, but with a good plan, anything's possible!"

"We still need time to study the Animus, you go look around the ship. Aryll, take us out to the sea and then find me." Sheik gestured to the blonde, and after a tip of her tricorn to Linkle, Aryll ran to the helm.

* * *

Linkle went under deck and wandered around the hall that had a sign indicating this as the quarters. She found an open room turned to see what was inside. She saw a bed and some shelves, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. The covers were thrown onto the bed, mounded up, and looked a lot like her bed in that respect, then the covers move and two blue eyes opened to find her.

"Hey, Grasshopper, what's up?" Malron asked, startling Linkle.

"Sorry!" Linkle jumped back and turned to leave.

"Why?" Malron called out.

"Um, I didn't mean to disturb you." Linkle backed up into the doorway and held her arm.

"Ah, it's fine, I don't really mind...so, about when I shoved you around...we're, um-"

"We're cool."

"Thanks! I was afraid you'd hold a grudge!"

"You gave me a lot of reasons not to, Mal."

"Ha...ha, 'Mal', eh?"

"Well, why do you call me 'Grasshopper' so much?"

"Because, your face is just—hey, kidding! You wear green, right? I know they come in brown, too, but the best looking grasshoppers are green...also, that jump of yours, I had two seconds to pray Sheik gave you the empty gauntlets and not one with blades in it."

"Speaking of which...when does my training start?"

"As soon as Sheik learns how dangerous burying you alive is...without the dirt, I mean." Malron's face fell a moment and she glanced briefly at Linkle, "Let's hope you're not claustrophobic."

"Little spaces are cozy, and I have...probably a little smaller frame than most people, so I'll be fine...and I'm not scared of the dark."

"Me neither, but I'm terrified of what _might_ be in the dark, knowing the dangers and weighing the factors is Sheik's job...mine's to follow orders and keep my wits about me, and Aryll...she keeps the boat afloat." Malron sat up and watched Linkle, "You should go get some rest, you've had a busy day...or you can go cook dinner, if you know how."

"Um, I...I wanted to say that you were pretty brave."

"You haven't seen brave yet, sure I took a punch and got a busted lip, but you...risking your life like you do, that takes some nerves, I need to step up my game."

"Ha...again, you shrug it off."

"Ha, I'm just glad Sheik didn't knock any teeth out, I kind of want those!"

"Only kind of?"

"Well, my teeth don't do me much dead, and that's just how it'll end up if we're not careful."

"True...Sheik made it look good, though."

"Believe me, you, it feels good. In a bad way, of course."

"Of course."

"You look like you want to say something...what's on your mind?"

"I don't know...I want to talk more, get to know the team better."

"Oh, we're a fun bunch, we actually don't talk much, it got lonely when the only people I could talk to were...so oppressive, I was afraid I might end up _becoming_ them, it was hard to hide there, allow them to get away with pushing the helpless around while...rejecting everything they stood for."

Linkle sat next to the quiet Gerudo and tried to think of something to say, but found nothing to say that sounded right to her, until she thought about what Malron said again, "I'm glad that you stayed yourself."

"Me too...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring you down, my mind just drifted. Let me tell you about Aryll, though, she's a couple of years younger than me, but she seems more mature at times, since she often supplies me with gifts, courtesy of Sheik trying to boost my morale and updating me on our status, or just a hello to let me know she didn't die...I honestly had nightmares where Sheik ended up dying, anyone's death is...basically the end of operations." Malron growled and shook her head, "I ended on a dark note anyways! Ah, never mind, I'm hungry, there's probably leftovers, the stoic Sheik doesn't eat a lot, from what I hear, and Aryll hasn't had a growth spurt in centuries, so it's up to us to make sure leftovers don't go bad."

"A worthy mission." Linkle nodded, and followed Malron, who leapt off the bed and ran to the wall of the hallway.

"I'll race you, Linkle!"

"You used my name." Linkle remarked.

"Ready, set, go!" Malron yelled, before Linkle was out of the room.

* * *

"So, um, the coffin thing's set up right?" Aryll called out to Sheik, who stood over the dark shape, appraising it.

"Yes...the Animus is prepared. I'll go in there for a moment, but bind me to it, I will...access a memory. Walk in another one's shoes." Sheik picked up a chain that laid inside the coffin. The chains were so long that they stretched from the handle of the Animus to the wall of the other side, but that would only make it easier for her to be contained if anything went wrong. Sheik tugged more roughly until she was pulling, then relaxed her grip, "If something...happens...if I struggle violently, close the lid on me and find the others...if I don't wake up, go get the others."

"Um...maybe I should go in, you Sheikah can interact with this thing, right? Like if a pupil gets sick or something and needs to be pulled out? Not that that happens, but-"

"Aryll...thanks, but I believe it's best this way...I have measured twice." Sheik waited for a concession, and when Aryll nodded, she put one chain on her wrist and pointed at the other, "A little help with this one?"

"Sheik...you're taking a big risk." Aryll grabbed the cuff and tightened it around Sheik's wrists.

"I know, but I also know we're running out of time." Sheik wriggled her wrist and growled.

"Too tight?"

"No, just tight enough, I was worried you'd try to make me comfortable."

"If that was supposed to be your attempt at a joke-"

"I suppose one cannot be perfect at everything."

"Yet you try so hard to disprove that notion."

"Nothing is true." Sheik closed her eyes, and waited for Aryll to reply, nodding when she did.

"Everything is permitted." Aryll stared at Sheik and started muttering her way to thirty.

* * *

Sheik opened her eyes and thought. She thought about her mission and her place. The world slowly changed around her, going to the memory before hers. She found herself in the castle's courtyard, Impa directed her to climb through the course, and she did as she was instructed, but something strange happened as she climbed. She didn't know what it was, but she fell, and found Impa standing over her.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Impa asked.

"Uh, I don't know, I slipped or something." Sheik replied, feeling very unlike herself, and unable to control her words.

"You never did apply yourself seriously, so why are you here?" Impa crossed her arms and stared at her.

"Because...I'm not good at anything else...my dad pushed me as a carpenter...and that's all I've ever known...I didn't want that life, but I wasted my childhood learning the trade."

"I see...you know how many times you've fallen? Perhaps you aren't using your legs enough, you have to think about these things as you climb, right?"

"R-right...think."

"Okay, we'll start again, if you're ready, take it slow and maybe tell me what you're doing, where your focus is, okay, Grog?"

Sheik felt herself nod, and tried again. Strangely, though Sheik was able to somewhat keep up with the Master—few could, though—this...memory slowed her down, she had to act as she went, her own experience went into it, yet the memory was ultimately dependent on the Sheikah in question.

She was frustrated with the lack of progress, and somehow remembered how long this took, then Aryll called out to her, and she left the memory.

* * *

"Sheik, are you okay?!" Aryll shouted.

"Yes, I'm fine...I just," Sheik tried to step forward, but but the chains rattled against her effort and she leaned back, "okay...unbind me, Aryll...and if I seem snappy...I've had a busy day of falling and climbing and falling, whoever _that_ was, I learned little. So far it feels like when I was training, but even with my skills, the actual speed is determined by the possessor of that memory...I'd like for her to get her mind around Impa's memories, back when she was first starting out...perhaps her pace would be optimal."

"Did you find records of the best Sheikah in the temple?" Aryll inquired.

"No, those records were destroyed by rogue Sheikah...I could use this to find those records, possibly recreate the documents."

"I think it's a worthy goal, you'll be a famous Sheikah, and if those documents are lost again, your memories will contain the information."

"But traveling through the memories aren't easy, I couldn't decide who I wanted to study...and as for using my memories...I don't know if the interrupted Animus training session will result in one access point, or if the memory would be strung together. In other words...will going in their and accessing my memories put people back in my training before I went into the Animus the first time, or will the explorer find only the memories prior to my latest session, or will they have to travel through my whole life?"

"Good question...could Linkle figure that out?" Aryll wondered.

"We'll see...I'll ask her to seek me first, and we'll see what happens."

"Seek you for what?" Linkle asked. She took a sip of soup as she regarded the two discussing the Animus.

"When the time comes, I want you to search through my memories." Sheik replied.

"Why not go now? If it's safe-"

"I'll go in again and try to navigate the stream of memories, report back to you, and let you have it...I'll seek out Impa's past." Sheik backed up and bound one arm, "Aryll, the other one."

Aryll nodded and shut the bracelet around Sheik's wrists. Malron and Linkle watched as Sheik closed her eyes. Linkle gulped down some more soup and Aryll cleared her throat unnecessarily, "So, do you think Sheik can hear us? She talked a little in...her sleep, if you want to call it that, and...I don't know, she never said if she heard me or not.

"Maybe I should throw some insults at her?" Malron smirked.

"Malron, please don't." Aryll crossed her arms, "If we distract her-"

"Hey, Sheik, you hit like a girl! Ha, ha, because you are, and a pretty deadly one!" Malron shrugged at Aryll's incredulous but entertained expression, something between a scowl and a smirk, "I'm just trying to lighten the mood...I imagine Sheik's rolling her eyes in there, though, me and my bad jokes."

"I couldn't do it," Sheik stepped forward and stumbled backwards, "ah...this again...anyways, I couldn't navigate, the Sheikah you get is random...that, or one similar to you, after twenty or so tries, I think it's best to just set you up with a Sheikah memory and go from there. Aryll, a little help?"

Aryll freed Sheik and Linkle stepped forward, emptied the bottle, and turned to Malron, "Hang onto this for me?"

"Sure, I'll go check up on our surroundings, we should probably start moving soon." Malron took Linkle's bottle and watched as the blonde held her arms out.

"So, um, any risk of possession?" Linkle inquired as Sheik bound her wrists.

"Well, what we're talking about is novel, and involves taking the memory of those who proceed us...so there may be risks involving an altered personality, maybe even dreaming their dreams, thinking their thoughts...and not all Sheikah were what you'd call a good guy, there's plenty of blood in our past, too much of it innocent. Take care, Linkle."

"Remember who you are." Malron nodded.

"I'll do my best." Linkle sighed, "How does this work?"

"Just...let your mind respond to the Animus, it wants to guide you to sleep, just drift, it's like floating." Sheik answered.

Linkle nodded and yawned, and closed her eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: I didn't want to end it on a cliffhanger, but this actually looks good like it is, the next chapter should be more of Linkle in the Animus! Also...I'm pretty sure traditional magic stuff will be here, just...consider this like Asgardian magic, if you've watched the Thor movies, "magic is just science we don't understand" is the view you'll want to take on things to understand how Assassins get mixed up with magic.**


End file.
